THE BLACK GOBY . 
251 
fish may have struck them by accident, and not in a deliberate charge. The Sword-fish 
generally go in pairs. 
The food of this creature is rather varied, consisting of cuttle-fish, especially the squid, 
and of small fishes, neither of which animals would in any way fall victims to the sword. It 
certainly has been said that the weapon is used for transfixing the flat fish as they lie on the 
bed of the sea, but this assertion does not appear to be worthy of credit. 
The young and adult specimens are very different from each other. In the young, the 
body is covered with projecting tubercles, which gradually disappear as it increases in size, 
and when it has attained the length of three feet, they are seldom to be seen. Those on the 
abdomen remain longer than the others. The dorsal fin extends in the young specimens from 
the back of the head to the root of the tail, but the membranes and spines of its centre are so 
extremely delicate, that they are soon rubbed away, and the adult specimen then appears 
to have two dorsal fins. 
The color of the Sword-fish is bluish-black above, and silvery- white below. The whole 
body is rough, and the lateral line is almost invisible. The usual length of the Sword-fish is 
from ten to twelve feet, but specimens have been seen which much exceed those dimensions. 
A few examples of the Sword-fish have been captured that measured seven feet in length. 
The Sword-fishes, family XipMidce , have three genera and about five species. They are 
large, strong fishes, and all good for food. Off Portland, Me., they frequent in considerable 
numbers. The fishermen here find it profitable to fit out for their capture. The vessels are 
provided with resting bars on the bow-sprit, and a lance is always at hand on the bar. When 
the Sword-fish is seen the fisherman hastens to his bar, and, leaning over it, to make all 
firm, he hurls the spear, and usually secures his prize. The handle slips out of the iron spear, 
and the line which is fast to the spear-head, serves to haul the fish on board. The flesh 
of the Sword-fish is very excellent ; rather dry, but the union of the flavor of mackerel and 
halibut renders it quite a good food-fish. 
The Sailor Sword-fish is still of much more curious aspect. It is a representative of a 
genus of Sword-fishes that have been separated from the previous genus on account of the very 
great height of the dorsal fin. 
The Sailor-Sword fish is sometimes called the Fax-fish or Sail-fish, and is said to 
possess the power of raising or lowering the enormous dorsal fin just as a lady opens or closes 
her fan. Sir J. Emerson Tennent mentions this fish in the following terms: “In the seas 
around Ceylon, Sword-fishes sometimes attain to the length of twenty feet, and are 
distinguished by the unusual height of the dorsal fin. Those both of the Atlantic and 
Mediterranean possess this fin in its full proportions only during the earlier stages of their 
growth. Its dimensions even then are much smaller than in the Indian species ; and it is 
a curious fact, that it gradually decreases as the fish approaches to maturity ; whereas in the 
seas around Ceylon, it retains its full size throughout the entire period of life. They raise it 
above the water while dashing along the surface in their rapid course, and there is no reason 
to doubt that it occasionally acts as a sail.” 
In this genus the ventral fins are reduced to one, two, or three spines, which in the present 
species are two in number. The tail is very deeply forked, and the enormous dorsal fin is a 
uniform deep blue. 
We now arrive at the large family of the Gobies, which include many curious fish. 
The Black Goby, sometimes known as the Rock-fish, is a moderately common example 
of the enormous genus to which it belongs, and which contains more than a hundred and fifty 
authenticated species. The members of this genus may easily be recognized by the peculiar 
form of the ventral fins, which are united together so as to form a hollow disc, by which they 
can attach themselves to rocks or stones at pleasure. In fact, this disc, although differing in 
shape, acts on exactly the same principle as that of the sucking-fish. 
The Black Goby prefers the rocky to the sandy coasts, and may be found in the pools 
left by the retreating tide. Some naturalists deny that the disc is used for adhesion, but I 
